Meloni Rejects EU Panic Over Trump Tariffs

While European leaders rush to condemn Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs with grim warnings and threats of retaliation, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is charting a calmer, more realistic course.

In an interview with Italy’s TG1, Meloni acknowledged that the U.S. tariffs were “a wrong choice,” but firmly rejected the panic that has gripped many in Brussels and beyond. “We do not have to feed the alarmism that I am hearing in these hours,” she said, adding that while the United States is an important market for Italian exports, it accounts for just 10% of the total. “We will not stop exporting to the United States. This is a problem to be solved, not a catastrophe.”

Dazi USA: la mia intervista di poco fa al TG1. pic.twitter.com/sLu70XIek0

— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) April 3, 2025

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Brussels Cries Crisis — Meloni Offers Calm

Compare that with the tone from the rest of Europe.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Trump’s tariff plan “a major blow to the world economy,” warning of “dire” consequences for “millions of people around the globe.” She went further, promising that the EU is already preparing “a first package of countermeasures.”

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French Prime Minister François Bayrou took it even further, declaring the tariffs “a catastrophe for the United States and for U.S. citizens.” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called them “an attack on a trade system that has created prosperity all around the world.” And Irish and British leaders likewise issued dramatic statements forecasting economic hardship and framing the U.S. move as deeply regrettable.

In stark contrast, Meloni avoided the language of catastrophe. She also didn’t reflexively endorse the EU’s tit-for-tat instinct. “I am not convinced that the best choice is to respond to tariffs with other tariffs,” she said, warning that such a move could end up hurting Italy more than helping it. Instead, she outlined a step-by-step plan: conducting a sector-by-sector analysis of the impact, consulting with Italian industry leaders, and working with European partners on a practical path forward.

Meloni: The Real Problem Is in Brussels

But Meloni didn’t stop there. She turned the lens inward—highlighting that the EU itself has contributed to the very fragility it now claims to defend. “We still have many things we can do to remove the tariffs that the European Union has self-imposed,” she said, citing Green Deal rules that punish the auto sector, high energy costs, excessive regulation, and the need to revisit the EU’s Stability Pact.

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That’s what separates Meloni from many of her European counterparts: a refusal to treat Trump’s policies as a pretext for more bureaucracy and more centralized EU control. She doesn’t like the tariffs—but she’s also not pretending Europe has been playing fair. Meloni is defending her country’s interests, not the Brussels status quo.

In a moment where others are pointing fingers and escalating rhetoric, Meloni is doing what real leaders do: diagnosing the problem, rejecting fear-mongering, and focusing on solutions.

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